Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching
by DB Staff
So, what are we all watching this week?
What kept you reaching for more (or agonizing when there was no more), and what made you want to throw your remote through the screen? Time to weigh in…
javabeans
Beauty Inside: There’s no way I could keep up with all the new dramas that have launched in the past two weeks, so I’m being selective about what to continue with. Beauty Inside is at the top of my list for a few different reasons, like the mix of breeziness and poignancy, the oddball courtship between our leads, and Seo Hyun-jin’s charming take on the cocky top star — she reminds me a bit of Jeon Ji-hyun in You From Another Star on that front. I do find it strange that despite a totally different story, a director’s style can be so strong that it recalls his previous works, because I’m getting quite a bit of Oh Hae-young Again in this (which I also felt with Introverted Boss). I wonder if that stylistic stamp becomes more of a detriment in rom-coms than other genres, because I can’t see how it would be a bad thing with a director who’s strong in action thrillers or political dramas, but somehow it feels overfamiliar and overused in the rom-com realm (it feels unfair to feel that, but I can’t help feeling it). I’m still loving the drama, but it’s a thought that sneaks into the back of my mind as I watch this.
The Third Charm: This show is light and simple, and I can see that it’s very pleasant, but I keep wanting something more of it. The leads have a cute chemistry and they’re a pleasure to watch as they navigate their relationship, and I’m a sucker for reunited-lovers romances, but I feel like I’m waiting for the plot to actually start, only I’m already at the fifth episode.
Hundred Million Stars From the Sky: Ah, okay. Now I’m ready for this show, and I think I’ll want to savor it. (I’m only two episodes in — don’t jinx me!) It has a really refreshing vibe to it that I didn’t realize I was missing in dramaland until it hit: It’s got a moody air but an unsentimental tone, and a deep undercurrent of tension running through everything. The directing is what makes this drama feel alive and crackling with energy, because there’s suspense in everything — some of them big points, like is Seo In-gook a killer, and some of them much smaller and mundane. It reminds me of everything I loved about Bad Guy (so we’re not talking about that crazy, unsatisfying ending here) and how inscrutable and morally ambiguous the hero was there. I love Seo In-gook so much when he’s being adorable and sweet (like in Shopping King Louis) or rascally and charming (see Answer Me 1997), so I’ll miss seeing that half of his personality in this show, but he does do a very good job of giving his character that necessary bad-boy vibe and enigmatic air.
My Secret Terrius: I still want to finish this because deadpan So Ji-sub is right up my alley, but I’m putting the drama on hold right now because I have serious time constraints and it’s either this or Hundred Million Stars, and right now stark melo is winning out over silly comedy. WHO KNEW THIS DAY WOULD EVER COME.
awcoconuts
Beauty Inside: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but forget Se-kye: moar Eun-ho, please!
Hundred Million Stars From the Sky: This genre is normally not my cup of tea, but Seo In-gook’s magnetism never fails to draw me in. I continue to be impressed by the way Seo portrays Moo-young as smooth and friendly one second – and shrewd and cold a split-second after that. I’ve always enjoyed Jung So-min in her projects also, and I’m looking forward to Jin-kang and Moo-young’s developing relationship (or should I be frightened?). Right now though, I’m completely enamored by Jin-kang’s relationship with her brother Jin-kook (Park Sung-woong) – they may be the sweetest siblings seen in dramaland in some time.
Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days: This is the sequel to last year’s hit film, Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds. It came out a couple of months ago, but I only got around to watching it this past week. I went into the first movie with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised by everything — the story, the acting/stellar cast, the cinematography, the direction. The films may have started off on solid footing because the original webtoon had such a taut and compelling fantasy story, but I applaud everyone involved in the film adaptations for doing such a remarkable job at bringing that story to life. Both films are sheer entertainment, and I can’t wait for the next two installments.
mary
The Ghost Detective: Why do I feel like this writer started with a bunch of great cliffhanger ideas then just filled in the episodes with whatever they can come up with to get from A to B in the story? At this point, I’m only watching this for the A Few Good Men team because the actors are all awesome, though I also find the crazy PPL amusing. I hope that PPL car comes in more colors. I’m curious what outrageous excuse they’ll come up with next for stopping a character on the street and handing them a shiny new key.
The Guest: I like this development that some people do terrible things because they’re terrible people, no demon possession required. And that these same people won’t have compunctions about worshiping the devil if it gets them what they want in this world. Isn’t that so true to life? Speaking of problematic gods, Drama Gods sure have a sick sense of humor, giving us our long-awaited (sort of) lead role for Kim Jae-wook, complete with shirt-unbuttoning scene… only to shower his abs with blood. Surely, that’s malice that can only come from an evil spirit?
Life: There are a lot of beautiful essays written about the ending, so I’ll just squee about Lee Jun-hyuk’s cameo and how much I miss him as Forest of Secret’s resident weasel. Seeing him in peak smarmy form in Life only hypes me up even more for the next season of Forest of Secrets, though I can’t remember if that’s a done deal or just one of the “we’re planning it” things dramaland throws around just to get us to lay off their backs about sequels. *lights a candle for Liar Game 2*
Laica
My Secret Terrius: The spy stuff in this show continues to be ridiculous, and I continue to not care because everything else is wonderful. Seriously, Agent Yoo, Agent Ra and even Bon show so little interest in preserving their secret identities that it’s almost a running joke. But Bon + Joon-Joon is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, and I love Ae-rin: her commitment to her kids, her open-hearted but still smart and tough way of dealing with people, and her friendship with her neighbor crew. Not to mention the KIS network of ajumma intelligence agents, who run circles around the actual NIS. I’m both sad that the angst is here, and excited that Bon’s been exposed already—it’s refreshing how quickly the plot moves in this show and provides tension to the spy/murder plot that might otherwise slacken due to misplaced stuffed animals and tooth-brushing, as delightful as all that is.
Fox Bride Star: I’m happy to be able to say that it does get better! The reminder that this is the writer of the excellent Dal-ja’s Spring made me give it another chance, and this week’s episodes completely won me over. This is the heroine I wanted—someone who isn’t afraid to make mistakes but also acknowledges that she has growing to do, and of course Chae Soo-bin has both the talent and charisma to make Yeo-reum shine. I also really like that we’ve moved away from last week’s life-saving hero moments to a quieter and much more squee-worthy dynamic between our leads. Yes, he still helps her out, but she also has something to offer him, and their interactions feel much more equal. I loved the whole sequence with the entitled passenger, where his words made her think again about her decision to stay quiet in the face of injustice, and her bravery in standing up for herself was the prompt for his slide into home with the recording. I do still feel a little like her character was retconned, because she seems like almost a different person this week and much of that was serviced by flashbacks; still, I can appreciate that maybe the drama was making a point about first impressions being misleading, and how much additional information can change your perspective about a person or situation. It looks like next week’s episodes might be heavy ones with that cliffhanger, so I’m hoping that these two’s gentle new rapport holds up. (Also, how cute is the cleaning robot that has a crush on Soo-yeon?!)
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Tags: Beauty Inside, Fox Bride Star, Hundred Million Stars From the Sky, Life, My Secret Terrius, The Ghost Detective, The Guest, The Third Charm, What We're Watching
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51 Katrina
October 13, 2018 at 11:14 AM
All the new shows I had earmarked to watch I had put off till I finished 4 that were coming to an end (not necessarily current) I finished three and paused for a day or so to regroup and was looking at recaps of shows I hadn't planned to watch. I read recaps after watching the show or if I'm curious but have no intention of viewing the drama, well so much for that now I'm watching three shows I hadn't planned on - I stayed up till 6am to catch up on Fox Bride Star and Matrimonial Chaos. I liked the leads of M Chaos so much I had to see. Annnd now I'm caught up but still have my original picks yet to start. So many Dramas if only there were a few more hours in the day. Ugh. I'm looking forward to So ji sub, Kim jae wook, and Seo in guk.
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52 mmochi
October 13, 2018 at 2:54 PM
I’m thinking of starting Shining Inheritance and I’m curious if any beanies have watching it. If so what did y’all think?
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FF queen
October 13, 2018 at 4:11 PM
I rember watching this after a 10 year kdrama hiatus. I just didnt understand why the main lead was such a jerk and it was suppose to be attractive??!!
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mmochi
October 13, 2018 at 5:38 PM
A trope used by many dramas 😒
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Anisa
October 13, 2018 at 5:10 PM
It's really good! My sister's favorite drama. LSG is a jerk to start out with, but he manages to pull off one of the best character transformations I've seen in a male lead. And it's a really heartwarming family story + romance with an EXCELLENT villain.
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mmochi
October 13, 2018 at 5:38 PM
That’s what I read from some reviews! I think I’ll watch the first couple episodes and see...
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53 redwingkdrama
October 13, 2018 at 3:36 PM
It's interesting that Javabeans noticed Seo Hyun-Jin channeling Cheon Song Yi in The Beauty Inside. Glad it is just not me.
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54 Trina
October 13, 2018 at 4:38 PM
Happy Saturday everyone!!
Terrius Behind me:caught up
Million Stars from sky:caught up
Ghost Detective: caught up
The guest:caught up
Age of Legends: dropped. Sorry William Chan
Ash frost love:I am on episode 33.
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55 Aya
October 13, 2018 at 8:39 PM
I'm moving so I could only watch a couple of my shows this week. Oh I also dropped the Ghost Detective, what a dud.
The Third Charm - Dropped it, I watched 4 episodes and just didn't care at all about any of the characters. The leads have boring chemistry, it's just overall very 'meh'.
Guest - This show is scary but none of the episodes have creeped me out as much as this week.. maybe it's because I watched them at 4am but still, every look we get of park il-do and his jesus/witch hybrid face is terrifying.
Hundred Million Stars - For once I actually wish Netflix had picked up a TVN show lmao I just wish I could binge it. It's definitely my favorite show airing right now (sorry Guest). Also, I'd give Moo Young my entire savings with no regrets if he ever looked at me like he does Jin Kang
Fox Bride Star - Yes it's very dramatic, but as a fan of american legal and medical shows where nothing they do could ever be done in an actual hospital or court room, i'm not having as big of a problem with the airport of doom as many others seem to. I also ship anything thrown at me so im enjoying the leads here too. No complaints!
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56 nightmoon
October 13, 2018 at 10:21 PM
Currently Airing
100 Days My Prince: Finally watched episode 2, and it was so much easier to get through. Will try to catch up before the finale.
The Beauty Inside: All caught up. Episode 4 was such a bore compared to the awesomeness of the previous episode. Seems like they’re on good terms much too quickly.
Devilish Joy: No new progress.
Fox Bride Star: Caught up. Episodes 7-8 were great in terms of just looking at the couple, but that drama… Seems like someone maybe likes Grey’s Anatomy there.
The Ghost Detective: On episode 15. Saw some of the recent developments so will hopefully get to this soon.
Ms. Ma, Nemesis: On episode 5. Pretty good but seems to shift in tone a bit too much, which is the same problem with My Secret Terrius.
My Secret Terrius: On episode 5. Seems to have lost a bit of that spark to me. Like the team dynamics.
Room No. 9: On episode 2. Can’t find anything I like in any of the characters, which makes it a difficult watch. But its got an intriguing plot.
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nightmoon
October 13, 2018 at 10:22 PM
Completed Dramas This Week
Part-Time Idol: Cute at times, but it didn’t hold my attention overall. The premise of a boy and girl idol group debuting (reminds me of K.A.R.D.) was interesting. It just didn’t seem to delve deep enough into the problems they faced. three out of five stars
While You Were Sleeping: An incredibly intriguing idea, but the whole shared dreams thing just didn’t stay consistent enough for me. But I was still very much impressed with some of the episodes. I even consider the first episode to be one of my favorite opening K-drama episodes ever! four out of five stars
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nightmoon
October 14, 2018 at 7:16 PM
The entry contents for My Secret Terrius were actually comments for Player.
My Secret Terrius: On episode 10. Getting a little better.
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57 vlkBadWolf
October 13, 2018 at 11:40 PM
Ms. Ma, Nemesis: I thought I knew where it was heading but after the last episode I am not so sure. But still I like it. With some minor exceptions (e.g. knitting) it does not remind me that much of Miss Marple (even though they claim to be inspired by Agatha Christie's Miss Marple) but rather of Midsomer Murders (my favourite long-running British detective drama with often gruesome murders).
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58 Teletabz
October 14, 2018 at 4:22 AM
Currently I'm watching these:
The beauty inside: so far so good, SHJ is really beautiful
Bad Papa: i love me some action among the sea romcoms
Fox bride star: i adore CSB but her character annoys me at the start
Devilish Joy: Cute
Terius Behind Me: my favorite among the lot
The player: confusing but still fun
3rd charm: i love the leads and the nosy sister
Hand: haven't started yet
Produce 101 S2: ep2. I'm curious coz I've watched both girls version.
I watch 1-2 ep at night before bed and a LOT during weekend coz my social life sucks 😂
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59 Marenmaren
October 14, 2018 at 4:47 AM
The Ghost Detective
Waiting for the scene where hye will possess YW body. I'm curious how PEB act out as a killer villain.
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60 windsun33
October 14, 2018 at 9:33 AM
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61 windsun33
October 14, 2018 at 9:35 AM
Hide and Seek: Not being recapped and not many post about it, so just a few comments up to the latest episode.
1. I am finding it really hard to like any of the characters in this show with the exception of Min Chae Rin (the adopted daughter). Some are worse than others, like the horrible grandmother, but none seem to be nice people. Her step mother seems to bounce between various mental episodes, and seems to have zero love for the adopted daughter.
2. Ha Yeon Joo (the long lost kidnapped real daughter) seems to be an absolute bitch with an exterior veneer of being nice. And her step mother seems to be an idiot.
3. Nearly all the other main characters seem to be evil, stupid (or both), or clueless.
Overall not THE most compelling show on right now, but I think better than most.
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62 redfox
October 14, 2018 at 12:55 PM
Hundred Million Stars - had to close compter at ep 1 because I got too creeped even though I predicted it but I am searching for Ingukkie and there is none of him left in Moo-Young and I´m more scared of the stranger in there than the character possibly being a murderer. Ingukkie where are you *cries* who is that? *shiver*
Fox Bride Star - so when does the fox appear. my fav character is the dust robot
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63 thequiet1
October 15, 2018 at 12:57 AM
Watching this week, according to how I like them for the week:
1. Hundred Million Stars from the Sky : Fascinating. Galore of expressions, questions, and feels.
2. The Guest : The guess.
3. Best Divorce/Matrimonial Chaos : Can't pinpoint as to why I like it, but I do, despite the mixed reviews I see here. Maybe it feels more real life? It's my age I guess, being 34 and hearing about marriage woes around me.
4. 100 days my Prince : Sweet, and the pace picked up.
5. Terius behind me : Relaxing watch, provided I kinda turned off my brain.
6. Ghost Detective : starting to lose interest.
7. My only Ally : something that I 'hear-watch' while resting on my couch and checking my fb/reading DB.
Trying to watch :
- Bad Papa : it's interesting, but my fear of Jang hyuk's character messing everything up keeps me from continuing. I was nervous all the time watching! Plus having too many drama to watch is a problem too.
Dropped:
-Devilish Joy : I'll watch it if I'm not about to drown in dramas. It's honestly not that bad. it's just... too classic.
Wanted to watch but can't seem to find the will, time nor strength:
- Room No. 9
- Beauty inside
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64 Alessar
October 15, 2018 at 6:43 AM
I was feeling bad I wasn't watching all the things but you guys made me feel better! I'm limiting myself to Beauty Inside, Secret Terrius, Ghost Detective (even though it's bad I like the cast and I am a LITTLE curious about how they're going to stop their supernatural big bad). I'm planning to start Matrimonial Chaos soon, subs weren't ready when I went to watch last week so I thought I'd start with a mini binge.
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65 mintkiri
October 16, 2018 at 5:06 AM
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